Countdown to Christmas part 2

[SideOrderofSprouts]

Wow! Part two!!

8 months to go

@Rachey28 that sounds lovely

Scandi is alive and kicking, Marmalade. John Lewis was rammed with it last year and I predict it will continue! I love it, and still will when it's out of fashion. 😁

I love that pound shop stuff too. Wonder what'll be in there this year?!

Rachey the Christmas Eve Hamper is a lovely thing to do - and ignore any nay-sayers who do the " Whhhaaaaat another present? They don't need something on the 24th"

The CEH isn't about presents. It's the preparation and the Winding Down (vital with over excited DC on Christmas Eve) .
We used to take them for a walk (park or ducks) just as it was getting dark. I'd do the Wait I need to check the back door is locked and put the boxes by the fire for them to 'find'
Lush BathBombs are good too. They do unglittery ones if you don't want your bath to look like Liberace has invaded but don't put them with an foodie things, they stink it out.
We did a jar of sweets each too.
Small pack of biscuits and a sachet of hot chocolate
(No DVD in ours though, that's on Netflix)

The PJs - Primark do nice festive ones only £5ish
The biscuit mix sounds gorgeous - maybe have a couple of trial runs? You could try gingerbread men - layer up the flour/sugar/ginger to make it stripey in the jar and melt the butter and syrup. Then you have all the fun of rolling it out.
Or easier would be a cookie mix (rub in the flour/butter on the day then layer with sugar, chocolate chips. Tip it out add an egg and roll into a sausage to chill and slice)

I did Reindeer foos ONCE . Porridge oats, sugar and pink food colour and edible glitter (don't use craft glitter) Lakeland sells it.
It sat like a lump of ..you can guess by my description...untouched by the birds till I scooped it up.

I save jars (just random jam jars) put candles in and line them u the path to light the way for The Sleigh.

One year I made an Elf ( an old soft bath toy with a muslin cloth face, hat made of felt. drew a sleeping face) I put it in a tiny box bed in the Playhouse, DS and I walked down with a candle light to peep at him.
"He's very tired so Santa asked if he could sleep here. Santa will collect him when he brings your presents" (Of course he has to be gone before DS remembers him

Look on eBay for Large Old Keys you can get some spectacular ones to paint gold , just a couple of £. Tie with a ribbon.

And if she's old enough - put wrapping paper (cheap big rolls ) across the door for her to burst through.

Quite sad in a way that I have pesky teens who don't indulge me !

I love the whole tartan and stags Highland Hunting Lodge look (it's not overly Christmas and you can flip the duvet cover over to tartan for New Year )

Matalan do some nice crockery and bedding .
I saw a beige with red and terracotta last year. The full blown red or green tartans wouldn't go in our house.

QVC do a brand called CozeeHome - its fine fleece (I was a bit ) but I bought a couple of sets. A deep plum which DH didn't like, made him too hot (ended up being passed on to DMum) and DS Christmas duvet which is red / red with snowflakes.
So he can have plain or patterened.
It washes and dries much quicker than flannel. Only downside though ...it stains pilllows/mattress so you really need a mattress/pillow protector.

Might get the grey one for DD this year (quite subtle but still festive. She does feel the cold)

I'd die of heat exhaustion under fleece bedding! Since having kids I've been rather hot blooded at night. Not sure what that's about, but I'm like a sodding furnace!

I decided against red bedding as we've already had a dye running incident with DD's red Christmas bedding. Once is enough!

I'm not good with overheating bedding either Fluffy being of the menopausal era with the hot flushes to boot ) . I haven't gone above a 4tog duvet for the past 6 years !

Flannel tends to be heavy for me so I do a flannel bottom sheet and a polycotton duvet cover (I'm not going to spend £££ on Christmas bedding like I might with regular)

The microfleece CozeeHome isn't luxe (even though the reviews they have seem to think it's the best bedding ever ,) it's more like pulling on a soft fleece top IYSWIM .

Some of the novelty bedding is rough (it took a few washes before our Nordic cover was soft enough. )
I've bought Primark flannel in the past few years (tiny navy reindeer , tiny fir trees, little woodland animals, ) they do pill and I've found you need to size up especiallly for a deeper mattress.

Anyone think I'm a lunatic, buying DS a personalised stocking to match mine and DH's?

He's still in utero and will be 4 weeks at best come Christmas! I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I often sit wondering/browsing all the Christmas hype I can finally indulge in with a DC

Loving the bed spread ideas!

blue only if you're entirely certain on his name-to-be! I was sure my dc was to be one name, he arrived, and is firmly another name as he didn't suit what we'd picked! Due end of November? DS was just shy of 4 weeks old last Christmas. I did actually wait though and bought him his personalised stocking and santa sack on boxing day at half price!

blue only if you're entirely certain on his name-to-be! I was sure my dc was to be one name, he arrived, and is firmly another name as he didn't suit what we'd picked! Due end of November? DS was just shy of 4 weeks old last Christmas. I did actually wait though and bought him his personalised stocking and santa sack on boxing day at half price!

OhOur We are entirely certain!

I'll just leave this here...

Jumping back in, I've name changed but I am a christmas peep.

I have been saving some money, I have started booking and scheduling my stuff.

I have christmas crafts on my summer holiday bucket list, mincemeat making and christmas cards for the end and I am going to get the kids to marble some card and use that to make giftcard holders. This year everyone is getting a gift card and a bag of home made fudge.

Morning all**
firefly I love that picture

You sound very organised Fridge. Can I come and do Christmas crafts with you I've got grumpy teens.

Hello @BlueIsYou - we are due last week of November too, so best case he will be 4 weeks, but could be as little as 2 weeks old!!

Buying him a few little bits for Christmas, but most likely holding off on the stocking until next year, unless of course he arrives on time so I still have chance to place an order!

We still haven't got our other DS a personalised stocking yet - he will be 3 in January! Thinking perhaps waiting until next year and getting them both similar ones.

We thought we were dead set on his name before he arrived, then we looked at him and it just wasn't right! Still sometimes think about that name, and seeing how he has turned out, the name would never have suited him!

I picked up a couple of bits for baby for Christmas yesterday - I think things are very slowly starting to creep in - they had all last years baby grows in mothercare in the sale, and the odd new Christmas bits dotted around!

153
🎄🎄🎄🎄

Blue I had an outfit and a few things for a stocking ready for DD, "just in case". Her due date was 25th Dec, and she actually turned up very early the following morning. There is absolutely no problem, in my book, with starting as you mean to go on!!

Also, if you are likely to read a special book every year for bedtime (we have "Twas the night before Christmas" on Christmas Eve), it might be worth getting a lovely version of it as an heirloom. We always have a book in the stocking as part of it.

My tree arrived - we haven't opened the box yet, but it is safely in our shed!

This week is different lists - farewell to our lovely boss and organizing her present and lunch, and another retirement - and packing up for holidays!!

Wheely of course :) though I did most of my crafts before the kids and they just hold me back or give me an excuse...

(And I am NOT bringing Christmas cards as I have lots of work travel coming up in the autumn - but I am planning on bringing my knitting for a new baby cardigan and hopefully a few beanie hats for various DNieces and DNephews for Christmas!)

OhourBilly, we put the fake tree on a large (Christmas paper covered, naturally!!) cardboard box and just non-breakable decorations at the bottom the year that DD turned 1. I have an adorable photo of her inspecting a Nutcracker (that is still intact and going strong) from that Christmas morning, but she was pretty good at not going at it once she was told "No" clearly, and she was also used to being put in the playpen herself when needed. (And the doors of the sitting room were easily closed against her when we weren't in there).

But she was also able to get her mitts into some cookie dough for rolling out and cutting shapes (she used it like playdoh - and we kept "her" cookies for DH and I, while I cut out and baked the ones for crèche!). And she quite liked it that, when leaving that crèche almost 4 years later, she had "made" the same cookies every single year for Christmas, with increasing involvement as she got more able to do things.

That's a good point Biddy, we are off to France at the end of August, I'll have lots of free evenings to work on bits for my crochet wreath! I WFH and most evenings I go to the gym and then work so my craft time is quite limited at the moment. That week will let me get a good crack on with it.

Thanks biddy and fluffy ì was wondering about playpens as I think it's going to be a necessity. I've told dh we need a bigger tree because im going to be expanding my Christmas colour wheel now ds is here. I've always been quite restrained in terms of colours etc, silver/gold/bronze..., now I full intend to go rainbow!

Just jumping in.. I have been very organised this year. I have candles bought for DC teachers (asda and have reindeer bags left from last year unused)

I bought lots of cards and paper in past years Jan sale plus an expensive set of tree lights that were less than half price and had my eye on for a while

I have my two dcs birthday and their Christmas gifts bought. Not all on sale but mainly to spread the cost. Definitely going to do Christmas eve sacks for them. Will pick up PJs and pants and DVDs and books soon. So excited this year!

Cleared all my decorations and gave mil some and only kept what I actually use (mil had a very sparse tree and was delighted with it)

I bought some fancy gin and books for visitors who turn up with gifts for DC and I didnt have much to return to them last year and was so embarrassed.
I always take a days holiday in early October and treat myself to some bits and pieces. I love matalan and home bargains for Christmas stuff. Cannot believe the value on home bargains. I am giving a lot of vouchers this year so going to start saving money from now on for them. Maybe 50 every two weeks.